This spring has been a little rough for the Bearkats as several starters such as receivers Richard Sincere and Torrance Williams are injured and won’t take part in today’s scrimmage.

That has allowed underclassmen to be able to step in and compete for either starting or backup spots.

“We’re really trying to evaluate a bunch of guys,” Sam Houston State coach Willie Fritz said Friday. “Unfortunately, we’ve got five or six of our starters who are injured and they’re unable to participate. We’re giving some young kids some reps. I’m not worried about situations as much as I normally am during the spring. We’ll get a lot more of that in the fall. A bunch of freshmen are going to play for us next year.”

Today’s scrimmage marks the midway point for the spring and is a chance for the Bearkats to make solid contributions and prove their worth.

“Every time we come out here, we just work on team chemistry and make sure the offense is working as a team as well as the defense,” Stephen Williams said. “We’re just trying to do the best we can and be as physical as we can at the same time.

“It’s definitely a measure of (progress) and a measure of courage and the ability to play with each other and stay safe also.”

During today’s scrimmage, the Bearkats will work on several drills, including a live scrimmage session.

“We’re going to work a little bit on the kicking game, some 7-on-7 with officials, some 1-on-1 pass rush with the officials and some controlled scrimmage with some live plays with more of the younger guys, just to see what they can do,” Fritz said.

Due to injuries to experienced players, the Bearkats coaching staff has a chance to take a closer look at younger players on the roster and see how they execute offensively and defensively.

“We’ve got some young guys in the secondary we’re looking at and some of them have shown us they can play at this level and some have shown us they can’t. It’s always interesting,” Fritz said. “Unfortunately with our numbers and our situation, we can’t bring everybody back. Some are working to start, some are working to be a quality backup and some are working to be on the squad.”

Sam Houston 2013 spring ball will end Thursday April 18 with the annual Orange-White spring game to held this year at Joseph Pritchett Field.